Herbie Of The Week: Dana

Meet Dana. As Dana's 50th Birthday approached (I know! She doesn't look it!), she decided to get into shape — and thought she had until her blood work came back. After a shocking discovery, Dana went plant-based and changed her life!

HH: What motivated you to make a change? In January of 2011, as I approached my 50th birthday, I decided it was time to lose some weight and get in shape. So I started working out at the gym regularly, hired a personal trainer, and by May 2011, I had lost almost 25 pounds and thought I was in the best shape of my life.

HH: Well, that all sounds fantastic — but — wait, you paused. What was the problem?

In September 2011, my blood work came back showing I was pre-diabetic! This came as a great surprise to me after losing the weight, exercising, and maintaining what I thought was a healthy diet. I didn't know what else to do.

Thankfully, my trainer, Heidi Keller Mohs (by now a dear friend) encouraged me to change my diet further by eliminating all animal products and eating an all plant-based vegan diet. She took me to Barnes and Noble and encouraged me to buy my first vegan cookbook, The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (and it is still is my favorite of all my cookbooks!)

HH: Aww. you ladies sure know how to make a girl feel loved — but back to the story: Where are you at now with the pre-diabetes?

I have been eating vegan for 1 year now and just had my blood work redone. I am proud to announce that I am no longer pre-diabetic! My fasting glucose dropped from 113 last year to 87 today! Not only is it in the normal range again, but it is lower than it has ever been. I also have great cholesterol numbers...overall 89! I credit it all to my dietary changes!

HH: That's amazing!! Anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks for your great recipes and encouraging posts! It is really true that animal products are bad for your health and by eliminating them from your diet, you can get your health back! I am proof of it!

A Happy Herbivore,

Dana Mavrakis

UPDATE:A year later Dana checked in with an update. Read her progress here.